Eat Like Ushi

A good article I found with food recommendations was from the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destination/spain/34915/Valencia-restaurants.html). I was trying to decide upon a place for my last dinner and after scoping out the beach area during the day, it took a monumental dedication to make the 1 hour walk there again and then back just for food.

The beach places I was considering (La Pepica, L'Estimat, La Rosa) didn't seem to intrigue me as much as hoped. Casa Montana is a highly rated tapas bar with a cosy setting, wine barrels and classic posters. Their anchovies (one of my favourites) and michirones (fava beans) are the specialties. The locals chatting inside, the friendly staff and a front seat to the bar made it the right decision in the end.

- V-2 (2 anchoa, 2 boquerones, 2 mejillones, olivas) - a nice cold platter with anchovies and mussels. They went well with the soft bread;
- Habas Estofados (Michirones) platito €1.9 - small plate of thick fava beans cooked with ham hock;
- Patatas Bravas de Secano platito €1.8 - smooth potatoes so good that the sauce and sour cream are unnecessary;
- Sardina Plancha (1/2 docena) €4.2 - grilled sardines are rarely a first choice for me but they were recommended. They were quite good given that, but next time I'd opt for the Clochinas Valencianas or something else.

A great meal, an excellent setting, a quality house rioja, and a 50min walk back to the hostel whilst contemplating.

Horchata is a fantastic drink. I recall my first taste at a small Mexican/Yucatan restaurants in the Mission district of San Francisco (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/poc-chuc-san-francisco-10-2011). Since then I've taken many opportunities from any restaurant, usually Mexican or Latin American and the one Melbourne cafe. The drinks seem to be a creation of rice, milk and cinnamon into a really lovely refreshing blend.

It was with great interest that Valencia was one of the originators of horchata, and it had a very strong presence around town from shops to restaurants, street stalls and even a few at Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias by the watersides.

What's different in Valencia is that they are made from tigernuts and so referred locally as horchata de chufa. The best shop in town is reputedly Horchateria de Santa Catalina and very convenient when passing through to the large Placa de la Reina.

The horchata is refreshing and sweet without any hint of sickliness or syrup. The drink didn't last long.

Once in Valencia, the search is for paella. It is a dish that originated in Valencia and is now probably the most associated Spanish food. It is very impressive to see enormous paella pans filled with yellow rice and topped with ingredients. I think the largest I've seen is the reasonable quality version downstairs in Covent Garden.

Valencian paella is different to those typically encountered elsewhere in the world. Whereas most places serve seafood or chorizo-based types, Valencian traditionally uses chicken, rabbit and snails. The best in the world is supposedly at a place called Paco Gandia in Pinoso, which has a rabbit and snail version that brings people there. It is located about 50km from Alicante and unfortunately, as hard as I tried, I couldn't spare the time to get there.

Surprisingly within Valencia itself, finding good reviews for a paella place is difficult. Most comments seem to be about La Pepica, a place along the beach that has mixed ratings from exceptional to terrible. Also in the area are lesser talked about L'Estimat and La Rosa. Within Valencia main township itself, I asked for a recommendation from my hostel and there suggested Ocho y Medio (which translates to 8 and a half).

The restaurant is set in a nice courtyard where you can enjoy the sun, warmth and people watching. Unfortunately the paella lists per person price and the minimum is for 2, which is very typical at most paella places I saw. For this reason I had to get a double which cost €25.80. It was expectantly huge but what can you do...

- Paella Valenciana (with chicken, rabbit, Perona green beans, white beans & snails) - I managed to finish this behemoth much to the amusement and amazement of the families eating around me. Other than a French pair, the rest all seemed to be Spanish. The rice was well cooked and had that excellent crisp bottom. The meats were fine, a little overcooked (unsurprisingly I suppose) and the white beans were a very nice touch.

All-in-all a good paella. Not my favourite ever, but that may just be because the chorizo and seafood ones are flavoured more to my liking than this traditional white meat type. They have several seafood types including prawns, cuttlefish and squid ink.

I'm not sure where I came across this name. It isn't in any of the guide books and looking online now suggests that it is closed. It wasn't a particularly convenient area either, requiring a solid walk west of the city centre. I didn't feel unsafe but I can see how some might wandering through dark streets with only a few strangers and street lights for company.

The place was sold to me as modern tapas and the setting really felt like the downstairs of a family home. There were tables around the sides, a stairs that I wasn't sure where they lead, and a central area where the food was cooked.

- "Calabres" Cheese Croquette €1.5
- Mini Truffled Duck Burger with Caramelised Onions €3
- Coca Pork Tenderloin, Torta del Caser Cheese & Spinach €3
- Galician octopus on mash €9.5
- Tarta de queso €5

Overall the meal was reasonable without being as exciting or outstanding as I hoped. The duck burger was probably the one I was most interested in (during my slider phase) but didn't deliver a strong sense of truffles nor duck meat.

San Sebastian - one of the few cities on Earth I've actually fallen for. The culinary scene is just the tip considering it contains extreme fine and creative dining in 3 Michelin stars and Top 50 restaurants, the best in social basic dining with the old town pintxos bars, as well as typical Spanish markets with exceptional ingredients. I long to live here one day.

The pintxos crawl started at a place I missed back in 2009. I walked past it several times but elected not to go in. I can't recall why - perhaps it was too busy... but it is certainly the coolest looking place to eat at. The colours and atmosphere are electric.

- Makobe with Txips €3.7pp - wagyu beef slider with tomato ketchup in the bun;
- Zebitxe con Granada (tigreton de mejillon, mama de bakailu) €3.5 - cod ceviche with mussels;
- Bacalau Enkarbonao con Pepitas de Pimiento €3.7 - cod with red pepper seeds.

I think the food flavours are better at San Telmo, but nowhere creates and presents as well as here. The entire experience is enchanting.

San Sebastian pintxos stop #2. Probably my favourite restaurant of the lot in terms of flavours and the one place I missed out on back in 2009 (as it was closed on the day I tried). The food is outstanding. I often have reservations about the most highly recommended places in LP and RG, but this time it was spot on for a reason.

- Carrillera de Ternera al Vino Tinto - veal cheek in rioja red wine sauce;
- Vieira Toro Ennuelta Tocino Bellota - large sea scallop wrapped with Iberico bacon;
- Oreja de Cerdo Iberico Asada y Crudiente - roasted crunchy pork ear.

The ingredients sing to me - cheeks, ears, scallops. The menu also contains trotters, foie gras, suckling pig, octopus... what more could you want? If it wasn't for it being a pintxos crawl, I would have stayed longer.

Stop 3 on the pintxos crawl. By this time things were getting a little tiring and drunken and so it was soon time to wrap up. Even this bar was closing soon as so mine was the last order taken.

- Risotto de Hongos o de Idiazabal - mushroom and cheese risotto (closer to risoni);
- Kebab de Kostilla/Berika - beef rib.

Both were good although I think my mindset didn't allow me to appreciate them as they may deserve. There still remained plenty of places left after that night's visit to A Fuego Negro, San Telmo and Borda Berri (but those were the three I was most interested in). Others around include Izazpi, Txapetxa and Zeruka. Next time.

Another trip to my favourite food destination in Spain. I ended up in Valencia mainly because I hadn't been before and the birthplace of paella lured me in. Ryanair had a nice fare returning from Alicante and so it was only natural to pass through the small town of Denia along the way.

Of course the only reason to stop in Denia itself was to visit this restaurant. I was in two minds about whether spending €135 on a set menu would be worth it, given my funds were limited and that I tended to prefer less fancy/fine and more base food. Nonetheless the recent elevation to #26 in San Pellegrino and more persuasively #1 in Opinionated About Dining ratings (putting it higher than Noma and El Celler) forced my hand. A few online reads suggested a menu experience equivalent to El Bulli. How could I resist...

After an hour bus from Valencia followed by a 30min walk from the bus station, I arrived at the restaurant in a reasonably quiet part of town to a rather unassuming building. Upon arrival you first are seated in the outdoor area for starters. They also present you with a nice little booklet with the menu, information about QD and also a notepad and pencil for you to jot notes, doodle, or whatever else you feel like. It's a nice touch in the modern foodie world of taking notes and savouring the experience.

The menu has two options - Universo Local (tradition, classic and historic) and Made in the Moon (modern Spanish cooking). Given it was my first visit, my waiter recommended sampling the Universo Local collection which brought the restaurant its reputation and fame.

1st Act: Snacks
- Gin Tonic of Apple - refreshing fizzy apple drink on a warm afternoon;
- Petals of Roses - tart edible "rose petals" of apple-strawberry flavour;

- Roots of Boletus
- Dry Leaf of Sweet Corn - a leaf flake that tastes like sweet corn...;
- Leaf of Herbs in Vinegar - tangy herb flavour I couldn't put my finger on;
- Kalanchoe Leaf with Pearls of Passion Fruit - crunchy herby tangy leaf with a slight sour passionfruit balls;
- Endive's Leaf with Muslin of Orange - shredded orange on top of herbed mayo;
- Stones of Parmesan Cheese - cold liquid of strong parmesan;

- Tomato in Vinegar - sour tangy vinegar coating a crunchy fleshy tomato;
- Tomato in Dry Vinegar - dehydrated tomato that collapsed in the mouth, with powerful tomato/thyme flavour;
- Raim del Pastor - tasted like an Asian herb algae with a slight bitterness and drying texture;
- Lichen - seaweed and little mushrooms on top of mushroom mayo, placed on a light airy crisp which had a slight burnt flavour;

2nd Act: Table of Delicatessens
- Delicatessens (Tuna, Mussel, Dry Octopus) - heavily smoked samples painted with olive oil. The mussel texture was paste-like and the tuna was more subtle smokiness;
- Paper of Cereals - crispy flake of cereal and seeds. Couldn't tell whether I liked this or not;
- Onion in Vinegar - raw pieces in balsamic vinegar;
- Fig - disolvable plastic encasing dried chewy fig powder;

3rd Act: Tapas
- Mary 2012 - take on a bloody mary, tomato disc filled tomato juice;
- Pepperwort 2012 - tuna sashimi licked with soy on a pepperwort leaf with the most lovely natural mustard/wasabi flavour;
- Dove Nest 2010 - salty cheese-like substance (spherified egg yolk I later discovered) on crispy kataifi nest;
(- Pesto) - blue cheese pesto with whole pine nuts at the bottom and parmesan paper;
(- Crepe of Strawberries) - stiff strawberry paper and castor sugar and hint of rose with fresh fruit pieces;
(- Razor Clam) - razor clam with chicken stock jelly cubes;
- Apple Tart 2012 - collapsing apple cake with alcoholic campari & orange peel ice;
- Ravioli of Beetroot & Crab 2013 - beetroot, lovely sweet crab meat and roe in a happy ravioli;
- Mediterranean Taco 2013 - strong monkfish with coriander;
- Coca of Sweet Corn - sweet sugar corn cracker, mayo that looked like grated cheese on top of dried crispy corn kernels;

4th Act: Our Table
- The Water of Dry Tomatoes 2011 - tomato pieces stirred with tomato mayo topped with creamy tomato ice, served with breadsticks;
- Cubalibre de Foie Gras with Lemon Granite and Rocket - rum & coke cubalibre with creamy rich foie gras served with a warm soft brioche bun and lemon granita;
- The Haze 2003 - jellied pea floor, salty grilled mushrooms & pork cubes, peas, crisp corn, microherbs & leaves and a misty forest aroma;
- Red King Prawns from Denia, just boiled. Tea of Chards - seawater-boiled prawns for a few seconds with the sweetest most delicately soft amazing texture, almost like being raw. Served with the most potent prawn head bisque;
- Red Mullet with Incrustation of its Guts and Eucalyptus 2011 - firm textured mullet painted with light urchin & mullet sauce with crunchy weeds and cooked on a eucalyptus leaf;
- Rice "Senia" Ashes 2008 - rice, rice dust ashes, black truffle, mushrooms and mushroom jus;

5th Act: Desserts
- Citrus Field 2005 - orange & sugar dust, mandarin peel and slices, orange cream and a sponge-looking thing that may have been bread?,
- Milk 2009 - milk crisp, vanilla pod icecream and another sponge-looking thing that may have been bread pudding?,

6th Act: The Magic Box
- Crocante of Almonds, Trufle of Rum, Gold Stones - gold chocolate with crunchy wafer interior, rum truffles and almond milk chocolate.

A very extensive dining experience which was helped by the addition of a few complemtary tapas from the Modern menu. I'm not sure what El Bulli was like, but if this is anything to draw by then the experience and excitement is what it is all about. There are stand-out dishes that work purely on flavour (although not many) and the best prawns that I will never find cooked the same way anywhere in the world. But it's more about the collection of dishes, the progression of the meal and the knowledge you won't find this cooking anywhere else in the world.

I'd consider going one more time (if in the area) for the Made in the Moon menu, but couldn't see myself going back again and again. That's probably a reflection of my changing food preferences rather than anything else. It's an experience worth having nonetheless.

Spain still has my food heart.

One of my favourite things to do in each city is to visit the markets. Food markets are the only ones I frequent, loosely browsing at fresh items but more often looking for ready to eat items for a snack, a picnic or a quick social gathering.

Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid is one of my favourite in the world. It only occupies a small building, but the excellence of items and its central location next to the Plaza Mayor make it worth a visit.

My favourites are the jamon iberico bellota reserva, including cheaper versions such as floss, salchichon (sausages) and paleta (front legs), the freshly shucked oysters and pinxtos served on bread. There is also a lot of cheese, olives, sweets, icecream and fresh fish.

There is something for everyone.

Away from the Old Town, the other areas of San Sebastian are worth leisurely exploration. Gros is known for a more private beach area, and probably if nothing more, just another part of town to see.

Finding food here has more limited options and sometimes you just need to trust in the quality of the town. I think San Sebastian is very safe for that. Senra had a small number of pinxtos available on the counter and a full a la carte menu, as well as the distinct lack of English.

- Arroz con almejas (rice with clams) €20 - strong clam-flavoured rice porridge;
- Pulpo a la gallega (Galician octopus) €18 - I always forget what Galician-style octopus is (boiled, served with olive oil & paprika) until I order it again and remember why I shouldn't. This was a good version with tender meat. I just don't prefer it.

A recommended place for a stop when in Gros.